Mimic the other person’s body language

In
most cases, the gesture is meant to promote positive feelings, but it
can also be used as a form of social posturing. During political
meetings especially, one party will attempt to show their dominance over
another by using an aggressive or controlling handshake.

The
handshake between U.S. President, Donald Trump and the Canadian Prime
Minister, Justin Trudeau, is a great example of a handshake being used
as a power play.

Handshake between Donald Trump and Justin Trudeau.

Donald
Trump is well known for his unusual manner of shaking hands, and
recipients have different ways of responding to the situation.4
In the case of the Trump and Trudeau handshake, Trump began by placing
his hand on Trudeau’s shoulder. Trudeau mirrored this action, which is
proper handshake etiquette.

The handshake didn’t end
there, though. Trump’s signature handshake involves jerking the other
party toward him. When Trump pulled Trudeau toward him, he resisted with
the hand that rested on Trump’s shoulder. Trudeau mimicked the body
language up until it became too domineering, at which point he stood his
ground. Trudeau gained international respect by handling a potentially
awkward moment with grace and maintaining a balance of power in the
exchange.

Offer a trustworthy greeting using the double-handed method

There are many nuanced ways to shake hands, but if you want to show that you’re trustworthy, give a two-handed handshake.

This
maneuver isn’t appropriate for every situation. If you are meeting
someone for the first time, a double-hander can seem too intimate. After
you’ve had some time to form an emotional bond with the person, you can
use this technique.

This
two-handed approach says, “I’m trustworthy,” because it doubles the
amount of physical contact that you have with the other person. On a
more primitive level, extending both hands shows the other person that
you can’t hide any weapons and there’s no hidden danger in your gesture.